Babysitting costs squeeze parents’ finances

If you're thinking of having a night out away from the kids this weekend, prepare yourself for a big bill. Booming babysitter wages mean that hiring a sitter can now cost more than the night out itself.

Research from MINT financial services reveals that the average hourly wage for a teenage babysitter is now £4.74, with a standard four-hour ‘shift’ costing parents £18.96. That’s more than the bill for two people to go out for pizza (£17.50), attend a dinner party (£17.46), spend a night in the local pub (£16.75), or head out to the cinema (£15.00).

The MINT research also reveals that babysitting has become the highest paid job for teenagers, outstripping other under-18s’ jobs such as paper rounds (£1.10 an hour), fast-food restaurant work (£3.60 an hour) and supermarket work (£4.50 an hour).

A third (34 per cent) of parents say that there are fewer babysitters now than there were ten years ago. This scarcity may be why babysitter wages command a 43 per cent premium over the under-18 minimum wage of £3.30 and why four in ten parents (39 per cent) say they have had to sacrifice a night out because they couldn’t find anybody to watch over their kids.

This babysitter drought has led to tough competition, with one in ten (13 per cent) saying that the best babysitters are snapped up quickly thanks to competition with family and friends. A similar number (nine per cent) have argued with their nearest and dearest over who gets the use of a sitter.

Many parents complain that young people no longer have the time to take on babysitting duties, with a third (32 per cent) blaming an increased workload at school for teenagers’ reluctance to help.

MINT Managing Director Jerry Toher said: “The extent of the babysitter shortage means that some parents are devising clever solutions to recruit sitters such as sharing a sitter, or teaming up with other parents to form a ‘babysitter bank’. Many parents are also tapping into local networks and online communities.

Parents want to ensure their children are in reliable hands at all costs but this does not have to mean the much deserved nights out by themselves have to be forfeited.”

For further information on MINT, log on to mint.co.uk.